The Shorty bass offers the same classic warm Hofner bass tone with a single Hofner humbucker bridge pickup. It offers full-scale length combined with such small overall dimensions that it can be taken anywhere. Other features include a basswood body with a bolt-on maple neck, a rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, and a fixed metal tailpiece/bridge. Available in black.

I bought this bass used as a travel bass. I now use it regularly with a trio that plays some very cramped spaces. Makes it easy for me to switch between bass and percussion since it is so small and lightweight. With tape wounds the sound is pretty cool--no hesitation to play gigs with it. Shortcomings include the strap button, as others have mentioned. The strap slips off really easy. The jack for the cord is pretty loose and it is easy to dislodge your cord. (I plan to replace that soon.) I initially thought I'd be replacing the tuners as well, as they seem to be guitar tuners and it is hard to fit the strings in--I had to strip the ends down to fit them through. But the bass holds its tuning really well, I have never needed to retune during a gig, so for now I'm leaving them stock. The bag is a little flimsy and not very well designed. Looking for something to replace it, maybe a rifle bag. And it sits a little funny on your leg if you play it sitting. Takes some getting used to. But the sound is decent, no weird noises, good intonation for a short scale, and super easy to carry around. Bottom line--I really like this little guy in ways that I didn't really expect to. And even at list price it is a bargain (especially when you compare it to other travel basses).

My job requires a lot of air travel. My kids gave me this for Christmas. Has been brilliant to take on the road to break hotel-boredom. Play it through a headphone amp. Quality-wise it meets what you would expect this price-point to deliver. Strung it with flats. Never had an issue taking it on a plane. But expect to get some nervous looks at Security Check as in the gig bag it looks just like a rifle case. As previous reviewers have noted the strap button placement is poor. Unless you plan on always sitting to play this you will need strap locks.

Gave this bass the "gig test" and was surprised that this little guy can actually be useful in a gig setting! Ok, it's not a "high end" quality bass by any means, but does put out a decent sound (with help from eq and effects)

The first thing you will want to be sure of with this bass is to have a locking strap or some means of securing the strap at the neck end. Due to the placement of the strap button, your strap WILL detach and the bass could end up crashing to the floor! (I used a locking strap.)

The bass is a slight bit neck heavy and does tend to dive a bit.

Playing the bass, you will notice the very small body can be a bit disconcerting -- not much to get your right arm onto for counter balancing. The neck is wider than a lot of other basses, but still playable. Mine arrived with a high action that was easily remedied with a quick adjustment of the neck. As I mentioned, the sound is 'ok" without eq/effects. Not great, but not unusable.

The main reason I bought it was for the extremely light weight which is VERY nice for us players with back issues! No weighty issues here!

It won't replace your main bass or even a good back-up, but for the novelty of having a "baby bass" as a go to for the fun factor, this little guy actually works! (I got more than a few comments about it!)

Put this on my Christmas List and received it as a gift....saved me from buying it later. I wanted it as a backup bass at gigs and also to use late in the set to give my shoulder/back a rest from a standard bass. It does this very well, after a few songs with the Hofner, my shoulder was rested and I was ready to go back to my primary bass. It's ergonomic and rests very well on your shoulder.

This is an inexpensive bass, so don't expect to record or play major concerts; it's probably not suitable as a primary bass. But it does have a suprisingly good tone for an inexpensive instrument. It also tunes easily and holds tune very well. Check the neck strap button to make sure your stap is secure. Because of the way it sits, your strap could slip off. You might want to put a washer or something to secure the guitar strap. Once again, this is a good value for an inexpensive bass.

First of all I wish Musicians Friend would get the correct picture of this instrument. Instead they have a picture of the Shorty 6 string. Go to the Hofner web site to see what it really looks like. As of now it only comes in black. It has a 30 inch scale but it is way smaller than most short scale basses. For the price it is a great deal. You get the bass with a nice little gig bag, nothing well padded but sufficient. The bass has a chunky neck with a solid feel. The tone is reasonably good, especially in the lows. Put flat wounds or black wounds on it to get a better sound. It is a travel bass that you can throw in the back seat of your car and go to a gig or practice session. It will easily fit on an airline overhead. It will also fit in most luggage bags. I like it as a back up bass, a fun bass, a travel bass. If lost or stolen you can buy another one without fretting your lose too much.

armed with the Hofner Shorty (I had one back in the 80's with the 28" scale...and this one has 30" scale) and something like the Hartke Bass Attack preamp...the sky is the limit. This bass is very comfy, even with its wider neck. I use flats on any bass I play...and this thing works out fine...